International Symposium on the Evaluation of Biological Activity,Wageningen, April, 1975

Abstract

A method was devised for estimating large populations of cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on cowpea. The densities of the aphid on stem, leaves and pod were first estimated in the laboratory for use in the field later. The densities were estimated in three arbitrary classes of infestation, viz. heavy, medium and low, determined visually based on the intensity of colonization. The densities of the aphid per cm² on stems were 108.50, 49.77 and 2503, while on pods they were 80.68, 44.46 and 23.20, in the three classes of infestation respectively. The aphid did not show any preference for the thickness of stems whereas young pods were preferred to old pods for colonization. The mean aphid densities on leaflets of topmost leaves were 62.10, 36–35 and 18–50, while on leaflets of top 2nd and 3rd leaves they were 124–60, 69–35 and 38.20, in the three infestation classes respectively. Comparisons made between the aphid densities on different parts of cowpea plant showed that the aphid colonized them in descending order of preference as stem > pod > top most leaf > top 2nd and 3rd leaves.